Jeff Beck

Geoffrey Arnold Beck (born 24 June 1944 in Wallington, Surrey, England) emerged from a modest post‑war upbringing to become one of the most influential rock guitarists of the twentieth and twenty‑first centuries. He showed an early fascination with the electric guitar, recalling that at six years old he heard Les Paul on the radio and declared that the “electric guitar … was for me”, a passion that drove him to build makeshift instruments from cigar‑box bodies and fence‑post necks while still a teenager. After brief stints in art school and a variety of odd jobs, Beck’s technical skill earned him a place in the Yardbirds in 1965, where his experimental use of feedback, fuzz and the newly popular whammy bar pushed the band toward psychedelic territory and cemented his reputation as a “guitarist’s guitarist”. Following a tumultuous departure, he founded the Jeff Beck Group, releasing seminal blues‑rock albums Truth (1968) and Beck‑Ola (1969) that pre‑dated and influenced the heavy‑metal explosion of the early 1970s. The early‑1970s saw Beck co‑lead the power‑trio Beck, Bogert & Appice before embarking on a solo career that produced the landmark instrumental albums Blow by Blow (1975) and Wired (1976), showcasing his fluid blend of jazz‑fusion, hard rock and innovative studio techniques. Over the next four decades he repeatedly reinvented his sound, embracing guitar‑based electronica on Who Else! (1999), collaborating with artists from Rod Stewart to Johnny Depp, and earning eight Grammy Awards for performances that spanned rock, pop and classical repertoire. His signature instrument, the Fender Stratocaster, was customized to his exacting specifications, and his refusal to use a pick in later years produced a distinctive, vocal‑like phrasing that inspired generations of players. Outside the studio, Beck was a lifelong vegetarian, a classic‑car enthusiast, and was married twice – to Patricia Brown and later to Sandra Cash – though he never had children. He passed away on 10 January 2023 from bacterial meningitis, leaving behind a legacy of relentless innovation, artistic integrity and a catalogue that continues to shape modern guitar music.